Beyond Words — sqiff.org

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What can a body say that words cannot? 
Beyond Words moves between BSL, breath, music, choreography, vibration and touch, following the many ways meaning can travel through the body. Across these films, bodies become letters, instruments, signals and landscapes, carrying desire, memory, fear, pleasure and resistance. 
An alphabet is danced through ruins. A bog breathes. A kiss turns into a choir. A pop star battles her own manufactured personas. Elsewhere, bodies move under surveillance, fall in love, grieve and find new ways to make themselves understood. 
These films do not exist outside language. They stretch it, remix it and have a little fun with what it can become. 
Curated by Nat Lall & Huss.
 
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Accessibility
This event has:

English-BSL interpretation for the introduction and performance. The interpreter for this event is TBC.
Arabic, English audio with English language Descriptive Subtitles.
Live Captioning for the introduction and performance.
An induction loop is available at the GFT Box Office. Enhanced Audio (EA) is available in their screening rooms via headset.

This screening is 83 minutes long and has an age recommendation of N/C 18+
If you require access seating please get in touch. Access seating includes: wheelchair spaces, sitting in the front row / in the aisle / at the back. If you need any other provisions, please let us know by emailing info@sqiff.org with your name, ticket information and access request. We will do our best to work with you whilst also managing the capacity of  the venue. Thank you for working with us on this. 
You can find out more information about accessibility at SQIFF 2026 here. If you have any questions about accessibility at SQIFF, please get in touch with us at info@sqiff.org
 
Films in this programme include:
MINT, Dir. Tomasz Grabowski, 2025, Poland, 18 min.
MINT is a silent experimental journey into a world without sound. Across five chapters, Deaf bodies, memories and gestures become a language of their own. Through Polish Sign Language, surreal imagery and moments of intimacy, the film explores silence not as absence, but as a space of expression, desire and imagination.
 
Deep Breath, Dir. Freya Spencer-Wood, 2024, United Kingdom, 4 min.
Building upon data produced by peatland scientists, Deep Breath showcases the dance between the mythical will-o’-the-wisp, phenomena of bog breathing and the landownership crisis in Scotland. The film discusses the tension between cultural perception of peatlands and landscape restoration in the context of an accelerating and unregulated carbon market.
Content notes: Discussion of climate crises.
 
Samodiva (kissing choir), Dirs. Tomislav Latinovic, Mathilda Harrison, 2026, United Kingdom, 19 min.
Sometimes anticipation outshines the satisfaction of a kiss. I’m excited by the build-up and the tension, when my hairs stand on end and my body feels fizzy. Things that were gross ten minutes ago become beautiful and erotic. We reach this meditative state in our thoughts, sinking into our future satisfaction. Release is tainted by the knowledge that I’ve done this before, and I’ll need to do it again. Live scored, performed and recorded by the Voicing Choir, a free community choir based in London.
Access notes: Loud sounds. 
Content notes: Depiction of eroticism.
 
CHARITY!, Dir. Stephen T Lally, 2025, Ireland, United Kingdom, 15 min. 
Set on the eve of the Millenium, ‘CHARITY!’ tells the story of a closeted Irish Y2K pop princess who undergoes a surreal assault on the senses as she wrestles with the cost of fame and a diabolical record label who’ll stop at NOTHING to make her a star.
Access notes: Flashing imagery.
Content notes: Depiction of mild body horror, and mild violence.
 
Abjad Hawaz (أبجد هوز), Dir. Hadi Moussally, 2025, France, Lebanon, Spain, 5 min.
Abjad Ḥawaz (أبجد هوز) takes its name from the ancient ordering of the Arabic alphabet. Through the body of Salma Zahore, each letter is danced and embodied in the ruins of Barcelona. Blending fashion, music, poetry, and performance, the film reclaims a language often feared and misunderstood, turning it into a celebration of identity, resilience, and artistic freedom.
 
Have/Are/Will Always, Dir. Sam Digges Hunter, 2025, United States, 5 min.
On February 22nd, 2025, a small group of transgender people gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, where they enjoyed each other’s company and food. The resulting video is the only documentation of this event. Soundtrack by Scotty Townsend.
 
UBIQUITOUS, Dir. Masha Maroutitch, 2025, United Kingdom, 7 min.
A young man is forced to confront feelings of self-rejection and isolation as he struggles to express his love for his best friend. ‘UBIQUITOUS’ is a short film that blends music, visual poetry and an emotionally grounded performance to tell the story of a young man battling with internalised homophobia and unrequited love.
 
How To Dance, Dir. Aileen Ye, 2026, Netherlands, United Kingdom, 10 min.
When every movement is surveilled, the body learns to speak in new ways, sensing freedom not merely as an idea, but as a vibration.
Access notes: Flashing imagery.
Content notes: Discussion of racism, surveillance…